Shifting Tides
by CastleInTraining
Summary: So this is my very first fan fiction. Korra discovers that she has no romantic feelings for Mako. Does she actually have feelings for a certain green eyed girl? Set after the season one episode "Out of the past". I would appreciate any constructive criticism that can be given. I've had this story on my mind for a while, so I hope you all like it. Korrasami rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Shifting Tides **

**Chapter 1**

Korra woke violently from her slumber to feel an ache throughout her body. She rose from her bed, immediately regretting that decision as her sides exploded with pain. It had not even been twenty four hours since she had been rescued from Tarrlok, and she could still feel the after effects of the man's methods.

"Freaking blood bending." Korra groaned to herself as she clutched her ribs. Tarrlok's blood bending had done a fair amount of damage to Korra's muscles, and master Katara had told her it may take a few days before the pain would completely subside. She took several deep breaths, attempting to utilize Tenzin's meditation methods to dull her pain. It didn't help much, but eventually the pain became bearable enough for Korra to get out of her bed. She looked out of her window to realize that it was in fact the middle of the night. The full moon shone brightly through the clouds, its image reflecting off the waters surrounding the island. Korra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a content grin forming on her face as she bathed in the beautiful white light. Feeling invigorated, Korra opened her eyes with a smile practically sparking with energy; there was no way she was getting back to sleep.

"Well, I'm not gonna get anything done lying in a bed." Korra said. She put on her boots and left her room. She made her way over to the spinning gates, the bane of her existence. She had lost count of how many times she had failed to weave her way through the spinning walls of pain in an attempt to understand the principles of air bending. Despite her less than pleasant memories in this place, she found herself drawn there to do her training tonight. "_Okay, what first?"_ Korra thought to herself, "_I guess fire is as good a place to start as any."_ She took a deep breath and thrust her right fist forward, producing a stream of fire. She almost collapsed in pain as she grabbed her right side.

"Crap!" Korra yelled, "Okay, maybe I'm not ready for that just yet." She stood back up and loosened up her arms.

"Let's try earth." She said to herself as she took a basic earth bending posture. She stomped her foot down, sending a sharp pain throughout her entire body. It took every ounce of willpower that Korra had not to cry out in agony. She slowly sat herself sown on the ground, breathing deeply as she put her head between her knees. She looked at the ground where she had stomped down. A scowl formed on her face when she saw that she had barely caused a crack in the earth.

"Damn you Tarrlok!" She cursed. Though she knew that it was only temporary, Korra hated feeling useless. She sat there for a while, trying to regain her composure when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. Fearing that it may be an Equalist or one of Tarrlok's goons, Korra sprang to her feet and took a striking pose against the potential attacker.

"Whoa, Korra it's me!" The young man in the red scarf announced.

"Jeez Mako," Korra said as she relaxed her stance, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," The fire bender replied with a concerned smile, "I was just out for a walk and I heard you yelling. I just wanted to see if you were alright."

Korra sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair, "What were you doing out walking? It's the middle of the night."

Mako lightly chuckled, "You know, hurting yourself isn't gonna make the injuries heal any faster." It was obvious that he was trying to avoid the question.

Now it was Korra who was concerned. "_Mako's always so calm,"_ she thought, "_What's got him all nervous?" _

Mako's smile faltered; "Actually," he took a deep breath before he continued "I was hoping to talk to you." He leaned against one of the trees, looking down at his feet.

Korra walked over to her friend, "What's going on Mako?"

He sighed and looked up at the moon, "Asami broke up with me."

Korra hated the fact that she wasn't necessarily disappointed to hear this news. Ever since they had met, Korra had always felt a pang of jealousy whenever she saw Mako and Asami together. Despite these feelings, she didn't like seeing her friend in pain.

"I'm sorry Mako." She said as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," Mako replied as his gaze turned to Korra's hand, "To be honest, I'm not that disappointed."

Korra's eyebrows rose in intrigue, "Why not? Why did you guys break up?"

His golden eyes rose to meet her ocean blues, "Because we both realized that she wasn't the one I was really in love with."

"_Holy crap,"_ Korra thought, "_This is actually happening."_ She began to smile on the inside, but then she found that smile falling. "_Wait, why am I not happy about this?" _She wondered, but then immediately tried to shrug off the thoughts,_ "I must just be nervous."_

"So… who is?" Korra asked nervously.

Mako brought his hand up to hold hers. Korra should have been jumping for joy on the inside; she knew she should have been holding his hand right back, but for some reason she felt the urge to pull away. "_What is going on with me?"_

Mako took a deep breath, "You are."

A striking pain of anxiety shot through Korra's body in place of the joy that she thought she should have felt. _"I don't get this. I thought this is what I wanted." _She fought to try and feel the happiness and love for Mako that she thought was there, but all she felt was anxiety and indifference. She used every ounce of willpower she had to try and feel the love for Mako that she thought she had, but it just wasn't there.

"I love you Korra." He said. Korra could feel the love that came from his words, and she felt like she was gonna throw up. "_Oh god…I'm not in love with Mako. I can't believe this."_ Korra just stood there, lost in her own thoughts, "_I always felt jealous when he was with Asami. I thought that meant…"_ Mako could cut the awkward tension with a knife. He didn't want to push Korra into anything, but he did want some kind of reaction.

"Korra?" He asked, pulling her out of her thoughts, "So?"

"So…" Korra tried to reply, now feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the realization that she did not have the feelings for Mako that she thought she did.

"I just told you I love you." He said, starting to feel a little worried, "Any thoughts on that?"

Mako tried to take hold of Korra's other shoulder, but she pulled away. She turned from Mako's gaze, hoping that he would take the hint and leave.

"Korra, what's wrong?" Mako asked, starting to become genuinely concerned.

"Look, I think you're just upset about Asami," She said, trying to distance the topic from herself, "I'm not sure you mean it."

Korra's tactic failed, as this only strengthened Mako's resolve, "No Korra, I mean it with all my heart." He gently clasped her shoulders and turned it around, "I realized it when you were taken by Tarrlok." He crooked a finger under her chin and raised her head to meet his gaze, but her eyes refused to lock with his, "I was so scared for you. Nothing could've stopped me from finding you… that's when I knew I was in love with you."

Korra bit her bottom lip in discomfort and she still refused to raise her eyes, "I'm sorry Mako." She whispered.

"What?" Mako asked, desperately hoping that he had just heard her wrong.

His worst fears were realized when Korra pulled away from his hold and said, "I am so sorry Mako, but I don't love you."

He felt like his heart literally shattered. He leaned back against the tree, sliding down to the ground. His mind became overwhelmed by feelings of sorrow, and rage.

"I don't understand." Mako said, the pain in his voice clear as day.

"Neither do I. I thought I had feelings for you… but I don't." She felt her heart become constricted by guilt at the sight of her friend looking so defeated.

Mako nearly jumped up from his seat on the ground and began to storm off. Korra couldn't bear the idea of just leaving things like this.

"Mako, wait!" She called desperately.

"WHAT!" Mako yelled as he turned around angrily, a stream of fire erupting from both of his hands as he did, "What could you possibly have left to say to me!?"

"I… I don't know." Korra said, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I'm sorry."

"You've said that three times now!" Mako replied, the rage in his voice refusing to subside, "It doesn't matter how many times you apologize Korra. What matters is that I ruined an amazing relationship with Asami because I thought we had something! Now I find out that you have no intention of returning my feelings!?"

Korra just stood there. What else could she say? She forced her eyes to the ground, too ashamed to meet Mako's hateful eyes.

"Well that's just great!" Mako threw his hands in the air as he turned around and walked away yet again. Before he was out of earshot, Korra heard him mutter, "I hope you're happy."

Korra stood there for what felt like hours, just trying to find a way to process what just happened. Eventually her legs started getting tired, so she walked over to one of the gates and sat next to it, leaning her head back against the board of the gate. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Well that really sucked." She said to herself. Her thoughts were a chaotic war ground. She couldn't understand why she no longer had feelings for Mako.

"I did have feelings for him… right?" She couldn't even answer her own question. She found herself thinking over her entire relationship with Mako. Before he started dating Asami she only saw him as a friend. After that, she felt jealous whenever she saw them together, which she had always assumed meant that she had feelings for Mako.

"But if I never had feelings for Mako," Korra wondered out loud, "Then why the hell was I so jealous?"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: A big thanks to everybody who has read my story so far. I want to let you all know ahead of time that I do intend to alter the show's storylines. This is not because I have anything against the way the show is now, but because I have a couple ideas about how I feel the show should be going, mainly to coincide with my Korrasami pairing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy _

**Chapter 2**

Korra sat alone at the air temple's spinning gates. She was slumped against one of the gates, looking up at the night sky. To anyone else the sight would have been a spectacle to behold. It wasn't cold out, and there was a slight breeze in the air. The sky was cloudless, revealing all of the beautiful stars that engrossed the sky as well as the full moon that shone brighter than the lights of the city below it. To most it would have been a spectacle to behold, but to Korra it was just there. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts and concerns to notice. She had just recently had a heated discussion with Mako, emphasis on the word heated. The conversation had begun with Mako professing his love for Korra, and it had ended with her shooting him down. Despite what Mako may believe, no one was more surprised about that last part than her.

"I thought I liked Mako." Korra spoke to herself, "Hell, I thought I was in love with him."

After the two of them had started dating, Korra had always found herself consumed with jealousy whenever she saw Mako and Asami together. She had assumed that these feelings meant she was in love with Mako, but very recent events had just proven otherwise.

"Then why was I always so jealous?" Korra had been asking herself that question for the past hour since Mako left. Once Mako told Korra that he was in love with her, she found that those feelings that she assumed were for Mako were not returning. More than that, Mako's declaration filled her with extreme anxiety to the point where she almost felt physically ill. And now, even an hour after the realization of this feeling, Korra found herself wracked with the same anxiety whenever she imagined herself and Mako in a romantic setting. All of these thoughts were causing Korra to breathe at an unsettling rate. She rose to her feet and began pacing in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Okay," Korra began as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Think this through. Tenzin is always telling you to think things through." She continued to pace around the gates as she sorted through the evidence of her romantic feelings.

"So when I first met Mako," She began, "I thought he was cool. But not 'boyfriend' cool, just… cool. I only saw him as a friend, and then Asami showed up." _Asami_. The thought of the green eyed girl brought a smile to her face and warmth to her chest. Korra always felt happy when thinking about her friend, but she could not deny that Asami was the factor that changed her relationship with Mako. It wasn't until the two of them had started dating that Korra started having feelings for Mako.

"But what were those feelings?" She asked the empty air. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that every time she had feelings towards Mako, they were never romantic. In fact, she only ever felt anything for Mako when she was feeling jealous. As she thought even deeper into the subject, she made an even more unsettling discovery.

"I was never jealous **for** Mako," Korra said with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, "I was jealous **of **him." To say that Korra was confused and astounded by this discovery would be an understatement.

"Why would I be jealous of Mako?" She questioned, "What does he have that I don't? I'm the Avatar. I have my friends, I have my parents, and I even have Tenzin. Hell, the only thing Mako has that I don't is…" As soon as she realized where this line of thought was going, Korra refused to allow her mouth to repeat what her mind was saying. "_No."_ she thought, "_No no no no no no no. There's no way."_ She was pacing even faster now than she was before, the reality of her thoughts dawning on her. Korra now found that she couldn't stop imagining the emerald eyed girl that she had met no more than a month ago. There she was; the common denominator, Asami Sato.

"There's just no way." Korra said in a barely audible whisper as her heart rate began to, "There has to be another explanation. Just keep thinking it through." Korra immediately regretted this course of action because the more the thought about it, the more it made sense. Korra hadn't started feeling jealousy towards Mako until Asami showed up, and Korra always felt a warm and fuzzy feeling when she thought of the green eyed heiress. _"But that's just because we're good friends, right?"_ Korra pondered.

"I don't even like girls." Korra defended. However, Korra realized that in reality, the subject of her sexuality had never really come up before. She had been taken to the White Lotus compound at a time in her life when romantic feelings were a non issue. After that Korra never had much contact with people her own age, so she never had the luxury of social interactions like friendships or crushed. Mako was the first of both. _"Or is Asami my first crush?"_

"Stop it!" Korra yelled at herself, "I do not have a thing for Asami… do I?" Korra fell into a sitting position by the gates and buried her face in her hands. She groaned mournfully, _"How did I get here? One second I'm in love with Mako, the next I may have a crush on a girl!"_ Korra looked up at the sky and sighed, _"Might as well face facts… I was never really in love with Mako."_ She got back up to her feet.

"But that still doesn't mean that I have a thing for Asami." She still tried telling herself as she quickly rose to her feet, "I need to get my mind off of this." She looked out at the empty field in front of her, "No better distraction than training." Korra shook her arms and took a deep breath to loosen herself up. She then stomped forward on the ground, causing a large chunk of the ground to rise up in front of her. Korra still felt the pain of Tarrlok's blood bending, but she powered through. She couldn't help but find her thoughts going back to Asami, and that was starting to make her angry. "_Why am I being tortured by this!? Why can't she leave me alone!?" _ Korra's anger expressed its self in her bending. Her fire was hotter, her water was colder, and her earth bending caused tremors like never before. Her moves had a fury behind them, shifting from one tactic to another as her mind was still plagued by images of the beautiful heiress. She incinerated a tree with a single strike, _"Why can't I get her out of my head!?"_ She condensed the water in the air and sent it out as a burst of freezing water that iced over the ground in front of her, _"Why do I keep seeing her stupid flowing hair!? _She did a sweeping kick, sending a stream of fire out, melting the ice that she had just created, _"Why do I keep seeing her stupid green eyes!?"_ She swayed her arms, raising the water from the ground and slashing it through one of the trees behind her, sending its top half falling to the ground, _"Why can't I stop seeing the two of us together!?" _She turned back around and rose her leg high into the air, _"And why does that make me feel so good!?"_ She stomped her foot down aggressively.

"GGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Korra yelled as mountainous spires of stone rose up from the ground in front of her. The spires sent quakes through the earth as they uprooted every tree in their path, leaving nothing but wreckage and loose soil in their wake. Nothing could stop Korra as she forced the spires higher and farther than she had ever intended. Korra eventually ran out of energy as the spires came to a dead stop. Korra could barely stand as she walked over to the base of one of the spire. She slumped up against the spire. She was exasperated, breathing heavily as she slowly slid to the ground. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and closed her eyes, the sweet lure of sleep slowly taking her.

"Goddamn it…" She said with her last bit of energy, "… I'm in love with Asami Sato." Her head fell on her shoulders as she left the conscious world with images of a certain emerald eyed girl consuming her mind as she went.

_A/N: I promise that the next one will have Korra interacting with other characters. I just needed her to have a moment of self realization. I'm a little concerned about the quality of this chapter so please review so that I know what I can do better on the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, and there is much more to come _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Hey guys, sorry this one took so long. I was halfway through writing it and my hard drive crapped out on me so I had to start from scratch (school hasn't helped either). I just want to thank everyone who's followed, favorited, or even just viewed my story. I want to give you all the best content possible so any constructive criticism will be helpful. And now, on with the show…_

**Chapter 3**

_Korra was bewildered by the sight before her. Asami Sato was literally dancing on clouds in front of her. She moved back and forth, back and forth, entrancing Korra with every step. She wore a pure white gown, the cloth swaying in the breeze as she moved. Her stark black hair flowed like water and her emerald eyed shined brighter than anything Korra had ever seen._

"_Just like an angel." Korra whispered to herself. It was only now that she became aware of her own appearance. She was wearing a gown identical to Asami's, and her hair was untied and draped over her shoulders. Asami stopped dancing with her back towards Korra and slowly moved her head over her shoulder to look at Korra. The smirk on Asami's lips sent tingles up Korra's spine, and between her legs. Asami raised her hand and beckoned Korra to her, a request that the bewildered water tribe girl was more than happy to comply with .Feeling nothing but bliss and no small amount of arousal, Korra wrapped her arms around Asami's waist, pulling her close._

"_Korra…" Asami whispered as she delicately cupped Korra's face in her hands. Korra lost herself in Asami's soft green eyes which were now cloudy with desire. Korra slowly raised her hands up Asami's back until she found them tangled in the dark hair that she had come to love so much._

"_Korra…" Asami whispered again as she bit her bottom lip. She lowered her hands and slid off the shoulder straps on Korra's gown. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Korra's color bone, and then continued kissing up her neck._

"_Heh, Asami." Korra giggled, an action that shocked her beyond belief. She never giggled… __**ever**__. Asami just made her feel so happy, like she was a kid again. However, the pleasure she felt from Asami's kisses reminded her that she wasn't a child anymore, and that was fine by her. Korra was disappointed when Asami pulled away from her neck, but she found her smile again when Asami returned her hands to Korra's face and began to pull her closer._

"_Korra…" Another whisper, and with each passing second the space between their lips got smaller and smaller. It was a perfect moment. Korra closed her eyes and smiled widely. _

"_Korra…" _

_She had never felt happier in her life._

"_Korra…"_

…_._

"Korra!" Tenzin shouted for the sixth time. This time, however, his call seemed to break through to Korra as she was startled from her sleep.

"GAH!" Korra yelled as she jumped up from her resting position on the ground. She took a fighting stance towards Tenzin, not recognizing the monk at first glance.

"Korra, calm down!" Tenzin asserted to the disoriented water bender. Her vision starting to clear from her abrupt awakening, Korra could recognize the pointed goatee of her air bending teacher.

"Tenzin?" Korra asked with a groggy morning voice. She lowered her arms and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry Tenzin, I guess I was a bit jumpy."

"I would say so. That must have been some nightmare you had."

"Nightmare?"

"Yes, you were moaning in your sleep. I assumed you were having a nightmare about Tarrlok."

"Moaning?" Korra's cheeks flared as she blushed, the memories of her dream returning to her, "Yeah, I guess getting kidnapped had more of an effect on me than I thought."

"No one is expecting you to recover over night." Tenzin said, a warm smile conveying his sympathy.

"I know Tenzin," Korra tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "I'll be alright."

"Well, in that case," Tenzin's demeanor changed to that of anger, "Would you mind explaining to me why my garden looks like a warzone!?" He gestured to their surroundings.

"Whoa," Korra whispered as she took her first look at the results of her training the night before. Several trees were in ashes, others were coated by a thick layer of ice that was only now starting to melt. The most noticeable of all the damage were the three small mountains Korra had erected from the ground before passing out.

"Tenzin…"

"I'm still waiting for an explanation." Tenzin demanded with his arms crossed.

"I… I was training last night and I guess… I guess things got out of hand."

"I would say so."

"I am so sorry Tenzin; I don't know what got into me." Korra was so ashamed that she couldn't meet Tenzin's gaze, "I promise I'll clean it all up."

Tenzin's features softened when he saw the remorse on Korra's face and sighed, "Yes you will," he said, "Later."

"Huh?" Korra was surprised by this reaction. She had expected Tenzin to sentence her to death for ruining his training garden.

"You are in no condition to fix this now," Tenzin placed a hand on Korra's shoulder, slowly guiding her from the damaged garden, "Go back to your room and get some more sleep."

"No, Tenzin I can…" Korra began to protest.

"**Then**," Tenzin cut her off, "You should go get something to eat, and then you will clean up this mess."

Korra knew that it would be useless to argue with Tenzin, so she went to do as he said. On her way back to her room though, she began to think about her dream. _"Well, I guess I really do have a thing for Asami. A near sex dream is pretty damning evidence." _Korra thought to herself. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, _"God, what am I gonna do?"_ She knew that she had to talk to someone about all of this, _"But who? I don't think that this would be the kind of thing that Tenzin would understand. Obviously I can't talk to Asami about my feelings for he; and I doubt that Mako would want to talk to me about anything, least of all my attraction to his ex girlfriend." _Korra sighed in exasperation and looked up at the sky, _"I guess that leaves just one person."_

….

"Wait, you're leaving!?" Bolin questioned his brother in shock.

"I need to get away." Mako replied as he loaded the last of his clothes into a duffel bag, "I need to think."

"What do you need to think about that you have to leave to do it?" Bolin got up from the bed and walked over to his brother, "Is… Is this about Korra?" Mako remained silent as he zipped up his bag.

"It is isn't it?" Bolin knelt down next to Mako, "What happened?"

"Nothing" Mako stood abruptly and made his way to the door, "I'll be back in a couple of days." He opened the door to find Korra standing there with her fist raised as though she were about to knock.

"Mako" She said startled. In that moment, the words awkward and tension gained new meanings. They just stood there looking at each other, both wishing that they knew what the other was thinking. Korra hoped that Mako had forgiven her, and Mako hoped that Korra had changed her mind. It became evident, however, that neither of those things was true. When Korra averted her eyes from Mako, he knew that her feelings had not changed. Korra found herself on the receiving end of Mako's scowl, something that she had recently become familiar with. Without a word, Mako pushed his way past Korra and stormed off to the island docks.

"What's going on?" Korra asked Bolin in astonishment.

"You tell me." Bolin with a look of confusion and irritation, "He just came back this morning, packed his things, and said he was going to the city for a couple of days."

"Oh man." Korra groaned. Every time she thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, it did just that.

"Korra, what the hell happened last night?" Bolin questioned his friend with more concern now than irritation. Korra sighed as she sat down on one of the beds.

"Mako told me that he was in love with me."

Bolin smiled that same toothy smile that he did whenever he was excited, "He finally did it? That's awesome!" Bolin was about to jump for joy until he saw the anxiety on Korra's face, "It's awesome… right?"

"No it isn't." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I don't feel the same way about him."

"WHAT!?" Bolin asked incredulously, "What do you mean 'I don't feel the same way'? I thought you and Mako always had something going on?"

"Believe me, so did I." Korra got up from the bed and rubbed her forehead, "But when he told me how he felt… I realized that I wasn't feeling the things I thought I felt for him."

"Well, what did you think you felt for him?"

"That's just it. Last night I realized that the only thing I ever actually felt towards Mako is… jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Bolin found himself confused again, "I don't understand." Korra paced around the room, trying to choose her next words carefully. _"This is it. I'm about to openly admit that I have romantic feelings for a girl. And not just any girl, his brother's ex girlfriend. Man, I did not think this through…"_

"Korra?" Bolin's voice broke her from her train of thought. His face was very anxious as he awaited Korra's response.

"Okay Bo listen, this is going to be kind of a shock, so I need you to promise that you won't freak out." Bolin nodded his curiosity at its peak, "I was jealous of Mako… because he was dating Asami… and I wasn't" Bolin's brow creased in confusion as he thought about what Korra had just said. Korra's insides were burning in anticipation as she waited for Bolin to respond. He scratched his head, still trying to figure it out. After what felt like forever, Bolin's eyes grew wide in realization.

"Whoa, wait, are you saying that you…"

Korra nodded, "I have feelings for Asami."

"HOLY CRAP!" Bolin yelled incredulously. He jumped in the air out of pure shock, his earth bending causing the room to shake.

"Bolin, you promised you wouldn't freak out."

"I know I know I know I'm sorry but geez Korra! Where did that come from?"

"I have no idea! Believe me I was just as surprised as you are." Korra flopped back down on the bed, the admission of her feelings having taken a lot out of her emotionally. Bolin slowly walked over to the bed across from her and sat down, his mind still racing from Korra's admission.

"Wow," Bolin said softly, "So you're in love with Asami?"

"Uh huh." Korra replied.

"Like, full on for real in love?"

"Yes."

"So," Bolin began as a smile returned to his face, "What's our next move?"

Korra sat up on the bed, "What do you mean?" She asked, confused by Bolin's question.

"Well, we know that you have a thing for Asami. So how do we make the two of you happen?"

"Wait, you want to help me get together with Asami?" She asked, to which Bolin nodded, "Why?"

"Why not? If you really are in love with her then we should at least try to do something about it."

"But what about Mako?" Korra was very confused. This was not the reaction that she had been expecting.

Bolin shrugged his shoulders, "My brother is a hot head. He's angry that you're not in love with him, and odds are he's going to be even more pissed if you start going out with Asami. But this isn't about him; this is about you being happy."

"Wow Bo," Korra was touched by Bolin's compassion, "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Bolin's smile was warm, "You're welcome. Now, what do we do?"

"Nothing." Korra said as she rose from the bed.

"What?" Bolin questioned as he rose from his bed.

"Look, odds are that Asami doesn't like girls, and even if she does there's no way she's going to want to be with me. I'm the reason that she and Mako broke up; she probably hates me."

"Don't be so sure; their relationship was always a little rocky." Bolin asserted, "We should at least try."

"No Bo," Korra insisted as she started walking towards the door, "I just have to learn to live with these feelings. Thank you for listening." Bolin rubbed the back of his head as Korra turned the knob on the door.

"Hey Bo," Korra began as she was half way out the door, "Promise me that you won't try anything."

Bolin smiled sympathetically and nodded his head, "I promise."

Korra smiled and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Once she was gone, Bolin's sympathetic smile turned into a mischievous smirk.

"Not."

_A/N: Good guy Bolin. Hope you guys liked this chapter, I know it's a little longer than usual. There is plenty more to come so stay tuned. Review! Review! Review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys, we've hit a milestone. With the upload of chapter 3 came the 1000__th__ viewing of Shifting Tides. I am so happy that so many people have enjoyed my story so far. Now, I want to make something clear. If you guys find anything wrong with this chapter or with the story in general,** please tell me**. I want to make sure I'm giving you guys a story you enjoy. And now, on with the show…_

**Chapter 4**

"You're breaking up with me!?" Mako questioned in astonishment, "Asami, why?"

Asami just stood there rubbing her arm in anxiety. She had known this day was coming for a long time, but that didn't make it any easier. She and Mako stood just outside her living quarters in the late afternoon of the day. The events of the past twenty four hours had given her the courage to do what she knew she had to. '_I have to end my relationship with Mako_.'

"Don't pretend you don't know why," Asami replied.

"Asami, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not in love with Korra?"

She scowled at him, "It doesn't matter how many times you say it if it's not true!" she took a deep breath to calm herself, "I'm sorry Mako, this is happening. We're done."

Mako sighed in defeat. He looked as though his world had just fallen apart, "Isn't there anything I can do to fix this?"

"Be honest with yourself Mako," Asami began, "do you really want to fix this?"

Mako stared into her eyes, and they both knew his answer. He sighed sadly and turned away from Asami, walking off without a word. Asami released the breath she had been holding, _'Well that really sucked.'_ Tears threatened to encompass her eyes. These tears however, were not for Mako; she had been planning to break up with him for over a week, but it was Korra's kidnapping that finally motivated her to do so. _'Korra…'_ That was why she was crying. _'She almost died,'_ Asami thought, _'She almost died and I never would have gotten a chance to tell her that I…'_ She couldn't bring herself to finish that last thought; it was just too painful. _'She'll never want me; she only has eyes for Mako… And I just gave them both what they wanted.' _Asami could no longer hold the tears at bay. The dam burst as she sobbed, _'I just want her to be happy… but why can't she be happy with me?'_ Asami was too sad to support herself anymore as she fell against her door.

"What am I going to do…?"

….

(THE NEXT DAY)

"Step one," Bolin said to himself, "Find out how Asami feels about Korra."

The young earth bender was deep in thought as he made his way to the female living quarters of Air Temple Island. He walked slowly, as he was in no great rush. He needed to plan out his next move carefully, lest he risks facing the wrath of Korra. '_I need to find out how Asami feels without letting her know that Korra is in love with her'_ He thought. Bolin knew that if he were to expose that information, then Korra would use every power at her disposal to make the remainder of his life a living hell. He actually cringed at the thought of what Korra could do to him.

Bolin shook off his anxiety when he found himself at the door to Asami's room. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and proceed with the dangerous task he had ahead of him. '_I'm about to try and set Korra up with a girl.'_ He thought, '_and not just any girl, Asami Sato. My brother's ex girlfriend who he __**just**_ _broke up with.' _Bolin rolled his eyes, mocking himself mentally, '_Yeah, because nothing could go wrong with that plan.'_ He cautiously raised his hand and knocked on the door. Not long after he knocked, the door opened and Bolin was greeted by the dark hair and bright eyes of Asami Sato.

"Oh hey Bolin." She greeted with a warm smile on her face, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Asami, Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." She stepped aside, allowing Bolin to walk into her room. '_Well she seems pretty cheery', _Bolin thought, '_That's a good sign.'_

"So what can I do for you?" Asami asked once Bolin was inside. She closed the door and walked over to meet him at the center of the room.

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you." Bolin said, "I know that you and Mako broke up last night."

"Oh, that." Asami's smile faltered at the memory.

"Are you… okay?" Bolin found himself feeling nervous as he approached this topic. '_Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.'_

Asami shrugged her shoulders, "I'm fine. These things happen I suppose."

Bolin raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "You seem kind of nonchalant about it. I thought you were happy with Mako?"

"Honestly," Asami began, "It wasn't that big of a surprise. Things had been kind of rocky between the two of us for a while."

'_Which is exactly what I told Korra, but did she listen? NO!' _Bolin shook himself from his thoughts, "Still, any break up is hard."

"Um, it wasn't so much a break up per se." Asami replied nervously.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh Bo, please don't be mad at me but," Asami sighed, "I kind of dumped your brother."

'_Ooh, this is promising.' _"Oh really? Why?"

Asami looked at him nervously, "Are you sure you don't mind talking about this?" Bolin shook his head, encouraging Asami to continue. She sighed solemnly and sat down on the bed, "I could tell that he wasn't in love with me. And to be honest… I was never really in love with him. I'm so sorry Bolin; I know he's your brother and this must be weird…"

"Don't worry about it, please continue. So you were never in love with him?" Bolin sat down next to her, his curiosity at its peak.

"Not really, no. The first time we went out really was just me apologizing for hitting him with my bike. I thought he was fun so I kept going out with him but…"

"But what?"

Asami averted her eyes as though she was ashamed, "It's nothing, never mind."

Bolin placed a reassuring hand on Asami's shoulder, "What's going on?" '_Man',_ Bolin thought, '_when did I become everyone's therapist?'_

"Bolin, I can trust you can't I?"

'_Probably not',_ "Of course you can."

Asami took a deep breath, "The truth is I was dating Mako mainly to prove that I could."

Bolin's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, "I don't follow."

She bit her bottom lip in anxiety, "I've… I've never really been attracted to men."

'_YES! YES! YES!'_ Bolin fought the smile that was threatening to form on his face, "Are you saying that you're gay?"

Asami chuckled softly, "Yeah, I guess that I am." She got up from her seat and started pacing around the room holding her arms, "I started noticing girls, like **really** noticing them, a couple of years ago. I kept trying to prove that it wasn't true, and I thought that I had when I starting dating Mako but… it didn't take long for me to find out that it wasn't going to work."

"Why were you trying so hard to hide it?"

"My father," Asami cringed at the memory of the man who betrayed her, "He's a very traditional man. I was always so afraid that he would hate me if he were to find out. So, I tried to prove that I wasn't what I was… I had no choice." The mere memory of the fear she had of her father's rejection brought tears her eyes.

"Oh man," Bolin got up and gave Asami a comforting hug, "I'm so sorry."

Asami politely pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you Bolin, but its okay. He isn't a part of my life anymore. It's actually pretty liberating; maybe now I can actually pursue my feelings."

'_This is it, ask the question stupid!' _Bolin encouraged himself, "Feelings huh? Would these feelings happen to be for a certain avatar we know?" he asked with a smirk.

Asami's eyes bulged incredulously and her cheeks became flushed in red as she blushed, "What!? Uh… no… uh…" She saw that Bolin's smirk wasn't going anywhere; she had been found out.

Asami sighed, "How did you know?"

'_Who else could it be? She's the only girl you know.'_ "Just a lucky guess I suppose." Asami tried to drop her head in embarrassment but Bolin held her head to keep their eye contact, "You should tell her."

Tears began to form under her eyes, "I want to Bo, I really want to; but… I just can't."

She turned away from him and Bolin sighed, '_Why did I think it would be that easy?'_ He walked around to face her again, "Why can't you tell her?"

Asami's tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, "Because she's in love with your brother, and if I know him, he's already told her and she's jumping for joy. Why would I tell her when all it would do is make things weird between us?"

'_Because she's crazy about you.'_ "Look, I just have a really **strong** feeling that if you were to tell her, she would… you know, reciprocate the feelings. Now, if you're worried about time and place then I can set something up…"

"NO!" Asami yelled, grabbing on tightly to Bolin's shoulders to keep him from going anywhere, "Please Bolin, don't do anything! I don't want to ruin the friendship that Korra and I have, and telling her would do just that! Please, promise me you won't try anything."

Bolin shut his eyes in frustration, '_Talk about déjà vu. Jeez, maybe they're more alike than I thought.'_

"Bolin," Asami brought him out of his thoughts, "Promise me."

Bolin sighed, the smiled sympathetically, "I promise." _'Not.'_

Asami wrapped him in a tight hug, "Thank you. Thank you so much Bo."

He stayed and talked with her for a little while longer before making an excuse to leave. She thanked him for comforting her and he went on his way. He walked back to his room with a big smile on his face. '_This may just work out better than I thought.'_ His mind worked out a plan the whole walk back. He sat down at his desk and began writing. Within the span of five minutes, Bolin had written on three pieces of paper, the whole time working out the final details of his plan. He held up one of the papers and looked at it with a smile, very proud of himself.

"This is gonna be good."

….

Korra huffed and puffed as she walked back to her room. She was absolutely exhausted; cleaning the training area had been a lot more difficult than she had anticipated, even with the extra rest she had gotten. It wasn't all bad though, as it provided her with a distraction. Her talk with Bolin had made her feel better, but Korra was still struggling with her newfound love for Asami. The mere thought of the heiress first filled Korra with a warm happiness, and then the severe anxiety of knowing that she would never have her. _'Man, whoever said love is a bitch sure wasn't kidding.'_ Korra soon found herself standing in front of the door to her room. She immediately noticed that there was a noted pinned to the door.

"What's this?" She pulled the paper off the door and began to read:

_Dear Korra,_

_So, I just heard from a pro bending buddy of mine. He said that with the arena still under repairs that a bunch of teams were setting up a kind of mini tournament tonight! Entrance is free so I thought we could go watch. He said that it was happening at the warehouse district; I put the directions on the back. I know that this is kind of out of the blue but I just figured that, given everything that's happened these past couple of days that you could use a little fun. Just follow the directions I wrote and I'll see you there tonight._

_Sincerely,_

_Bolin _

Korra finished reading the letter with a smile. _'This is great!' _she thought, '_Just what I need.'_ She walked into her room to get ready to go. Korra had never felt so relieved, '_Nothing like a little pro bending to take my mind of Asami.'_

….

Asami was lying on her bed, deep in thought when she heard a knock at her door. She walked over to the door but before she could open it, she saw a piece of paper slide under the frame. Curious, Asami bent down and picked up the paper.

"What's this, a letter?" Asami began to read:

_Dear Asami…_

_A/N: Oh Bolin you crafty devil. Like I said at the top, if there's anything you guys find wrong about this chapter please let me know so that I don't make the same mistakes in the next one. You know how you can tell me? Review! Review! Review! Thank you guys so much for staying with the story so far. There's plenty more to come, so stay tuned!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack. Sorry this one took so long, school and holidays have a way of keeping people busy. Well, enough of me making excuses, on with the show…_

**Chapter 5**

It was night time when Korra arrived at warehouse 24, an impressively large building and the site of the impromptu pro bending tournament. Bolin's directions had been helpful, but fairly unnecessary. The lights of the warehouse were very bright in contrast to the rest of the district; that plus the dozens of people that could be seen walking to building 24 made the event pretty easy for Korra to find. She stood just outside the entrance and waited for Bolin. Being the avatar, some people wanted to talk to her, but most just walked by to go inside. Nearly half an hour had passed and Bolin had yet to arrive; Korra was starting to get anxious. '_Where the hell is he?'_ she wondered, '_He wouldn't just blow me off.'_ Five more minutes had slowly crawled by and Korra was about to give up and go home before she heard an unsettlingly familiar female voice not far from her.

"Korra?" The voice was soft and shaky. Korra slowly turned herself to face the source of her voice, anxiety encompassing her very being. Her worst fears were realized when she laid eyes on Asami Sato standing not ten feet away from her. Korra's heart nearly stopped when she saw her. _'What is she doing here!?'_ she wondered in horror. It was then that Korra realized that Asami was there, and Bolin wasn't. '_He wouldn't…'_ Asami was wearing the same outfit she usually wore, a grey coat and red skirt, but it was only now that Korra realized just how good she looked in it. _'Crap, why does she always have to look so hot?'_ Korra thought in despair, _'This is going to get real complicated real fast.'_

Korra finally found the strength to speak, "Asami, what are you doing here?" She found herself sounding just as shaky as Asami did.

"I, um, I was invited." Asami averted her eyes, caught up in her own thoughts. _'Bolin wouldn't set me up like this,'_ Asami wondered, _'Would he?'_

"Who invited you?" Korra questioned.

"Well…" Asami began to answer when an unfamiliar voice called towards them.

"Um, excuse me!?" Both girls turned to face a young man with messy black hair and dirty clothes, "Asami and Korra?" he asked. Both girls nodded and the boy reached into his pocket.

"I'm a friend of Bolin's," he said as he pulled out a folded piece of paper, "He asked me to give this to you two." Korra took the paper and the boy walked inside the warehouse without another word. The girls looked at each other briefly, tension still encompassing them both. Korra unfolded the letter and the two began reading:

_Asami and Korra,_

_Sorry girls, something's come up and I'm not going to make it to the tournament so I guess you guys are on your own. But hey, don't let my absence keep you from having fun. I had a couple of seats reserved for the night. I told the bouncer to be expecting you so he'll help you guys out. Once again, really sorry I couldn't make it, but you two should still try to enjoy yourselves tonight. Have a good time and I'll see you two tomorrow._

_From,_

_Bolin_

_PS: Have fun ;)_

The moment they finished reading the letter, both Korra and Asami shared the same thought, _'I am going to __**kill **__him.'_ They both glanced up from the letter and found themselves staring at each other. Korra's breath hitched as she lost herself in Asami's emerald eyes. '_I was right,'_ Korra thought as she continued looking at Asami's eyes, _'Real complicated real fast.'_ Asami's nerves got the best of her and she turned herself away from Korra's gaze, and it was only then that Korra realized just how long she had been looking at her. She blushed and took a deep breath, _'Keep it together avatar,'_ she thought, _'Bo's given you a chance here; don't blow it by scaring her off.'_ She takes another deep breath and taps Asami on the shoulder. She turned around startled, as though shaken from her own thoughts.

"So…" Korra said hesitantly.

"So…" Asami repeated.

"Would you… would you like to go inside?" Korra put a small smile on her face, trying to comfort both Asami and herself.

"Sure," Asami answered, still feeling kind of shaky, "Why not right?"

Korra's smile grew wider, "Exactly, so let's go." She hooked out her arm, offering it to Asami. Though she was still hesitant about the whole situation, Asami knew that she couldn't pass up this opportunity. She took Korra's arm, and all of her worries melted away with a warm smile. Being with Korra like this made her feel happier and safer than she had in a long time. They found the bouncer, and he led them to their front row seats. The impromptu stadium was well constructed. The battle platform looked the same as the one at the arena, only it wasn't elevated nearly as high, and instead of a watery landing below, the floor of the building was lined with mats. _'Not too shabby.'_ Korra thought. The lights in the arena dimmed as a man in a referee's uniform walked onto the platform and held up a microphone.

"Good evening pro bending fans, how's everybody doing tonight!?" The crowd was in an uproar, "That's what I was hoping you'd say. We have a very special treat for you all tonight; eight pro bending teams have come out here to play for you all in what will prove to be an action packed thrill ride of a tournament. Tonight we show those equalists that they can take our stadium, but they can't take away the sport we love; am I right!?" Everyone in the warehouse got their feet and cheered wildly. The referee/ announcer smiled triumphantly, "Alright then, let's get this show on the road!" He walked off the platform and got into his box at the edge of the stands. With a ring of the starter bell, the tournament began.

The announcer was right when he said that the tournament would be thrilling. Korra and Asami were at the edge of their seats as they watched team after team go head to head. Despite the fact that this wasn't an official tournament, every team gave it their all through the entire three hours of the tournament. Both girls could feel the heat of every fire burst, the dust of every shattered rock disk, and on more than one occasion they found themselves splashed by a water bender's missed strike. One by one, six of the eight teams were eliminated from the tournament, despite their best efforts. Two teams remained, The Lion Turtles and The Canyon Crawlers. In a matter of minutes, the final match of the night would begin.

"Who are you rooting for?" Korra asked Asami in an attempt to start a conversation. They had stayed fairly quiet throughout the tournament (except for some cheering) and Korra didn't want to waste the opportunity she had been given to make the two of them closer.

"The Lion Turtles, what about you?" Her eyes were locked onto the battle platform waiting for the match to start.

"Uh, same." Korra replied. In truth, she didn't really care who won the tournament. Right now, all she cared about was having a good time with Asami.

Both teams took their places on opposite sides of the platform and prepared their fighting stances. The bell rang out and the match was on. The Crawlers opened with a fire/water combo strike and the Lion Turtles countered with a strong earth defense. Korra and Asami were captivated by the battle. Strike after strike, block after block, counter after counter, both teams fought on with an endless barrage of power. One crawler sent an earth disk flying at incredible speeds, just barely missing the head of one of the Lion Turtles. Asami was startled by the near miss and grabbed Korra's hand in response. Korra took notice of this, but did nothing to stop it. The battle continued to unfold, Asami's hand loosened its hold on Korra's, but never once did she let go. Korra kept her hand absolutely still, not wanting to risk making Asami uncomfortable by increasing the grip. Rather, she simply enjoyed the soft embrace between their hands. Eventually, the match came to an end with the Lion Turtles as the victors. With the match over, the adrenaline high it induced soon dissipated, and Asami realized that she had been holding Korra's hand. With a furious blush, Asami pulled her hand away, mentally cursing herself for not realizing sooner. What Asami could never have predicted was that the removal of her hand caused a stinging feeling of loss within Korra. _'Well,'_ she thought with no small amount of depression, _'It was nice while it lasted.'_ The Lion Turtles stood at the center of the platform as the announcer from earlier walked towards them with the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He began as he pointed towards the winning team, "Your champions!" Everyone in the entire stadium got to up from their seats and applauded the winners. The Lion Turtles waved to the crowd, enormous smiles on their faces from their victory.

"Wow," Asami began as she continued her clapping, "They are so cool."

Korra felt a small pang of jealousy, "I don't know," she said, "They don't seem that tough."

"Korra, they just fought their way through an entire tournament. I think that makes them pretty tough."

Korra shrugged her shoulders, "I could take them."

If only Korra had known that people around them were listening, she may not have said that. What was only meant as a meaningless boast turned into a declaration of war as the people sitting around them became abuzz with conversation:

"Did you hear that? The avatar wants to fight the Lion Turtles!"

"She wants to what!? There's no way!"

"I heard it too; she said that she could take them."

"Ha, please, there's three of them and one of her."

"But she's the avatar. She could beat them."

"Oh man, is she really going to fight them?"

"This is awesome!"

Before Korra even knew what was going on, people were nudging at her, encouraging her to get to the arena. She tried telling them that she wasn't actually planning to fight them, but her words fell upon deaf ears. All this commotion caught the attention of the announcer and he made his way over to Korra's seat. He spoke into his microphone so that everyone in the building could hear.

"So what's this I hear about you wanting to take on the champs?"

Korra had become dumbfounded by this turn of events, "Well uh,"

"Because," The announcer interrupted, "I think that's something these people would like to see. Am I right folks?"

Everyone cheered at the prospect of seeing the avatar in action. Their encouragement brought a feeling of pride up within Korra. All of these people were cheering just for her, and she kind of liked it.

"Well avatar, what do you say?" The announcer inquired one last time.

Korra smirked smugly, "Sure, what the hell."

"Korra no!" Asami protested.

Korra was surprised by this reaction, "Why not?"

"There's three of them and one of you. You could get hurt!"

Korra couldn't help but smile at Asami's concern, _'She's worried about me.'_ She placed a hand on Asami's shoulder and squeezed, trying to comfort the heiress.

"Asami, I'll be fine. It's not like they'll actually beat me."

Asami tried to protest but Korra quickly rose from her seat to face the announcer.

"I'll do it." She said with a smug smile.

"All right folks, we've got a special surprise for you," He began as he lead Korra to the changing room to put on her safety gear, "The Avatar will go one on three against tonight's champions!" The crowd roared as Korra walked out of view. While everyone else cheered, Asami sat in her seat biting her bottom lip in anxiety. _'Oh Korra,'_ she thought, _'Please be careful.'_ Five minutes passed and Korra walked out of the changing room wearing white body pads and a helmet. The Lion Turtles stood on one side of the platform and the announcer stood in the center. Korra walked to the opposite side of the platform and the spotlight shined down on the announcer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Avatar Korra!"

Korra thrust her arms in the air as the crowd cheered. Asami couldn't help but smile as she watched Korra encourage the crowd. _'I don't think I've ever seen her so… giddy.'_

"Okay everyone," The announcer said from his box, "Let's do this!"

Both Korra and the Lion Turtles took their fighting stances and braced themselves for what was to come. The starter bell rang, and the game was on.

_A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As always I'm open to any constructive criticism if you have any advice that will improve the next chapter. On that note, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I haven't been getting nearly enough reviews; I am a review junkie. Man, Korra alone against three skilled benders… how will she get out of this one? There's only one way to find out, and that's to stay tuned…_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: What's up people! So, I'm starting to notice a pattern with my upload times. School keeps me pretty busy during the week, so I usually don't have time to write until the weekends. Because of this, I end up posting on Sunday nights. I'm not saying that this is going to be a permanent schedule; if I find the time to post a chapter during the week, awesome. I'm just saying that it might be a good idea to expect new chapters on the weekends. As usual I want to thank you all for your support, it's what make all of this worthwhile. Now, on with the show… _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra or anything of real value. (Why risk copyright infringement)_

**Chapter 6**

The starter bell rang, and the game was on. Before the echo of the bell had even ceased, the Lion Turtles were giving it all they got. All three men shot their respective elements at Korra with more power and determination than anyone had seen from them all night. Unfortunately for these boys however, Korra had seen this attack coming from a mile away. Korra's movements were quick as she dashed to her right, avoiding the stream of water that had been sent her way. She then jumped kicked her own stream of water up from the platform vent, bringing it directly upward to extinguish the intense burst of fire. Finally, she thrust her fists forward with such strength that the two earth disks shattered on the contact. While the crowd cheered in admiration, the Lion Turtles simply stood in astonishment, truly dumbfounded by the avatar's swift reaction to their onslaught. Taking advantage of their stupor, Korra stomped on the ground, launching three earth disks directly at the chests of the Lion Turtles. Caught off guard, none of the three benders were able to avoid Korra's attack, and the earth disks exploded on contact with their chests. The blow forced all three men back into the second zone of the platform. The crowd roared at Korra's first step to victory, and she felt a swell of pride within her. Dozens of voices could be heard in the building, but one voice caught Korra's attention in particular.

"WOO! Yeah Korra!" Asami cheered. Korra turned to see that the heiress had an enormous smile on her face. This was quite possibly one of the greatest moments of Korra's life. There she was, Asami Sato, the girl of her dreams, cheering her on! The referee signaled for everyone to get into position to continue. Korra had a confident smirk as she moved into the next zone and took a fighting stance. _'Baby, if you liked that,'_ she thought, _'Then you're gonna love this.'_ The bell rang, signaling for the match to continue. This time it was Korra who made the opening move, punching out water headshots at two of the Lion Turtles and kicking a powerful fire burst at the third.

…...

Asami watched as Korra utilized every element at her disposal. The raven haired heiress was captivated by Korra's movements. So determined, so powerful, so fluid, so… _'Sexy'_ Asami thought. This was not the first time she had seen Korra in action on a pro bending platform, and it sent shivers through her core every time. To see the avatar take so much command over a situation was just so invigorating, and it always made Asami's mind wander to other possible… situations, where she wouldn't mind seeing Korra take command. These thoughts enveloped Asami's mind as she rested her head in her hand, watching Korra with a mischievous smirk.

….

Meanwhile, The Lion Turtle's water bender extinguished the fire burst with one slash while the other two were disoriented by Korra's water strikes. Korra took advantage of this and fired an earth disk at the chest of the water bender, but he blocked it with a powerful punch. _'Looks like some ones not going down without a fight.'_ Korra thought. The other Lion Turtles regained their composure, and the battle raged on. Unfortunately for Korra, the Lion Turtles had no intention of just rolling over and dying. They matched Korra blow for blow. Every time Korra made an attack, the Lion Turtles blocked and countered with increasing force. _'Okay,'_ Korra thought as she deflected another burst of fire, _'so maybe there IS strength in numbers.'_ Korra was literally saved by the bell when it was signaled that round one had ended, with Korra as the victor. Both sides were given a moment to breathe, and Korra knew she needed to rethink her strategy. _'They've had me on the defensive,' _she thought as she breathed heavily, _'I need to start fighting back. I'll focus on one at a time, and just avoid the other two.'_ Both sides took their stances, and round two began. The Lion Turtles' earth bender started the round with two earth disks, which Korra was able to shatter. _'Okay,'_ Korra thought as she pulled water from the vents, _'You first." _ The other two team members tried to take Korra on, but she dodged their every attack and focused all her offensive power on the earth bender. After disorienting him with a water headshot, she sent two earth disks his way, one to his legs, and one to his chest. The leg shot cost him his balance, and the chest shot launched him backwards into the third and final zone. Korra heard the crowd's cheers yet again, and she smiled as they fuel her determination, and her pride. She then focused his attention on the fire bender. She ignited several bursts of fire at the man, ironically using his element against him. At first he had been able to block them, but eventually the sheer quantity of the fire bursts got the best of him, and he lost his footing. _'Gotcha'_ Korra stomped down, launching an earth disk towards his chest. Just before it was about to impact, the disk was knocked away by a stream of water. Korra scowled at the Lion Turtle water bender. _'You're starting to get annoying, WHOA!'_ Korra dropped to the floor, just barely dodging the earth disk that had been launched at her from the third zone. She jumped back to her feet, sending two powerful streams of water at the fire bender. The forces of the streams hit him so hard that he tumbled right off the edge of the platform and into the mats below. The crowd cheered as this brought Korra one step closer to victory. Their praise fueled Korra's pride and she turned to face the adoring crowd, her fists raised in the air victoriously; this was a mistake.

As soon as she turned, she caught sight of Asami's face. The smirk on her lips and the raw desire in her eyes made Korra's heart skip a beat. She wondered what was taking place in the green eyed girl's fantasies, and what kind of role she played in them. The remaining Lion Turtles took notice of Korra's distraction and took full advantage of it. Korra just barely heard the swishing of the water before it hit her in the back of the head, knocking her off balance. She was trying to turn around when an earth disk hit her side, knocking her into zone two. The two remaining Lion Turtles advanced forward as Korra regained her footing. The two benders were merciless, firing disk after disk, stream after stream at their opponent. Korra jabbed the disks to smithereens and bobbed out of the way of the streams but it was starting to become too much for her. She tried going on the offensive, blasting fire and launching disks, but her opponents had gained their second winds. They blocked each and every one of her blows, and countered with increasing force. The adrenaline rush was beginning to dissipate and Korra's movements starting getting slower and slower. After a particularly powerful fire burst, Korra had no choice but to take a breath, giving the Lion Turtles the opportunity they had been looking for. Their water bender went into overdrive, sending stream after stream after stream of water directly at Korra's head. There was no reprieve, causing Korra to stumble further and further backwards. Korra was right on the edge of the platform when the persistent headshots ceased. Korra thought that this may be her chance; another mistake. She wiped the remnants of water from her mask only to see the two benders bracing for their final attack. The water bending sent a stream that may as well have been a massive flood, and the earth bender stomped up three disks and launched them at Korra with speeds that made them nearly invisible. There was nothing Korra could do but brace herself for the collision. When the attacks impacted on her chest, it was like a bomb going off, launching her right over the mats and towards the stands. The people rushed from their seats just in time to avoid Korra as she landed in the stands, crushing a few seats beneath her. Korra's vision was hazy and her ears were ringing. All she could see were a crowd of people forming around her before she blacked out.

...

"KORRA!" Asami yelled as she sprinted towards the crash site. Her heart was pounding and tears were threatening to fall from her eyes as she ran.

"Everyone," The announcer began over the speakers as the crowd around Korra grew, "Please remain calm. We have healers on their way to the avatar right now."

Asami frantically pushed her way through the mom, desperately trying to get to Korra. _'Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay,'_ Asami thought as the forced her way past everyone in her path, _'Oh god Korra PLEASE be okay!'_ When she finally reached the center of the mob, Asami saw that the healers had already arrived. They had removed Korra's helmet and were bending the water over her injuries. Asami nearly fainted when she saw the enormous crack in Korra's injuries.

"Korra?" She whispered meekly, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey!" one of the healers declared, "I think she's starting to wake up!"

On hearing this, Asami pushed her way past the healers and gently grabbed Korra's head, cupping her cheeks.

"Korra! Korra can you hear me!? Korra!"

….

"Korra!" The sound of her own name made Korra stir. She groaned and slowly started to open her eyes. As her vision began to clear, Korra saw that there were a lot of people around her. A lot of faces, but only there was only one that she really cared about. The beautiful face of Asami Sato was only inches away from hers. Korra saw that her emerald eyes were filled with concern and that her cheeks were stained with tears. Maybe it was the head injury, but even though she knew that Asami was upset, Korra couldn't stop herself from thinking about just how beautiful the girl was.

"Korra, are you alright?" Asami asked, the tears in her eyes beginning to lessen as she saw that Korra was at least alive. _'Just so damn beautiful'_ Korra thought as she looked deeper into Asami's eyes.

"Korra," the heiress repeated, "Are you alright?"

Korra continued looking at the angel in front of her as a soft, goofy smile formed on her face.

"I'll live."

_A/N: So, what do you guys think? I'm a little less confident with this chapter than I'd like to be. The action scenes were just so tough to write and I'm worried that I didn't do so well. Also, I'm sorry if I messed anything up with the pro bending. I did my research before writing this chapter but I don't know if I got all the rules right. Well, definitely let me know what you guys think; I want to make sure that future chapters are well written. REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! There is a lot more to come for our girls, so stay tuned._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Hey there everyone, sorry this one's a little late (I can't even stick to my own deadlines) the last thing I want to do is keep you guys waiting. So a few people that reviewed my last chapter brought up that in pro bending, headshots are illegal. In my defense, my research told me that water headshots were in fact legal, but who can trust Wikipedia these days. Anyway, my bad. I would once again like to thank you all for your support, I really appreciate it all. Now I'm sure that the last thing you guys want to do is read my ramblings so without further adieu, on with the show… _

**Chapter 7**

"I told you that fighting those guys was a bad idea!" Asami snapped at Korra as they got off the boat. Korra staggered onto the dock of Air Temple Island with Asami's assistance. Korra's head was bandaged, as was the right side of her chest, and her right arm was in a sling, which both inhibited her movement and gave her a splitting headache. The night was calm in contrast to the storm that was raging in Korra's brain. Asami was trying to be gentle with Korra, despite her being upset with the overconfident avatar.

"I know I know, OW!" Korra groaned in pain as she accidently overextended her arm. She would have collapsed from the shock of it if Asami hadn't caught her. Seeing that Korra was in no condition to walk, Asami pulled Korra's left arm over her shoulder to take some of the weight as they continued walking up the dock. The healers had done an excellent job fixing Korra up, but there was only so much that they could do. She still had a minor concussion, a sprained arm, and three bruised ribs. It was going to take time for Korra to heal, and until then she was fairly limited physically. Such inhibitions made her feel just as worthless as she had when Tarrlok used his blood bending on her. Despite her own self loathing, Korra couldn't help but smirk at her actions this evening, _'The things I'll do to impress someone.' _She thought with a snicker. This unusual action did not go unnoticed by Asami.

"What could possibly be funny about this?" She asked with no small amount of irritation.

"Oh nothing," Korra blushed, "I was just thinking about how Tenzin will react."

"And that's funny to you?"

Korra shrugged her shoulders, "Not really, I'm just trying to put a positive spin on all this."

Korra cringed as another bolt of pain shot through her side. Asami couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Korra, and allowed her features to soften as she gave her more support. The heiress found herself flashing back to Korra's performance during the match. Despite the outcome, she still found herself admiring the avatar for lasting so long against three incredibly skilled benders.

"Well if it makes you feel any better," Asami said, "I thought you were going to win."

Korra's blush grew, "Thanks Asami that means a lot." Like the woman standing next to her, Korra flashed back to her match at the tournament. But unlike Asami, Korra wasn't thinking about her own performance, but rather she thought about the thing that ultimately caused her to lose. She couldn't stop herself from remembering the way that Asami had looked during the match. A clearly devious smirk had been visible to Korra, and those eyes. During the match, Korra had seen clear desire in Asami's eyes as she watched her. Korra determined that the face she had seen had been one of both intrigue and possibly even arousal. Korra's logical mind told her that this look was probably meant for the members of the Lion Turtles, a thought that filled her with a feeling of jealousy that she did not enjoy. Yet despite this more likely possibility, Korra couldn't shake the feeling that maybe Asami had been looking at **her **that way. _'There's no way,'_ Korra thought, _'why would she have been looking at me? Unless…'_ Korra risked a glance at Asami, who was still looking forward as the two of them walked towards the girl's quarters of the temple. _'Is it possible that Asami might like me?'_ Korra didn't dare hope for something that she believed to be impossible, but she couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth and optimism at the mere prospect that Asami may return her feelings. Korra's mind was racing as the two finally reached the girls living quarters of the temple. She knew that she had to be sure of Asami's feelings before she made a move, the only question was how. _'I'll need to spend time with her, a lot of time.'_ The concept brought a subtle smile to her face, _'It won't be easy; I'll need to be patient. If it's true she's not just going to admit it. But if there's even the slightest possibility that Asami could like me that way, I have to try.' _They walked up to the door of Korra's room and Asami removed Korra's arm from her shoulders.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Asami asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Korra replied as she gently stretched her left arm, "My ribs hurt like hell, and the sprain in my arm isn't helping, but I think I can walk around now."

Asami took another long look at Korra's bandaged head and arm, "I still don't like the looks of those injuries. Is there anything else I can do?"

'_Kiss it and make it better?' _Korra thought, "Actually there is."

"What? Just name it."

"Well, once my concussion heals and my ribs start feeling better, I'll need to work out the rest of my body to get back into shape."

"What do you mean 'work out'?" Asami asked with a small blush. She couldn't help but let her imagination wander with the possible meanings behind Korra's words.

"Training," Korra stated simply, "The sooner I start using my right arm again, the sooner I'll be back to normal."

"And how do you expect me to help with that?" Asami asked, not sure where Korra was going with this.

_'Here we go,' _Korra thought as she took a deep breath, "I need a coach. You know, someone to help me train the arm back into shape; someone I can spar with and who can make sure I don't lose my edge. I'd like for that to be you."

"Me?" Asami found herself feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her, something she was starting to get used too. _'Spar with Korra? As in get __**physical**__?'_ Asami thought, "What about Tenzin? Or even Bolin?"

"Tenzin's not the fighting type, and Bolin would be too afraid of hurting me."

"Well what about… Mako?" Asami had tried to avoid that question all night. She knew that Mako would have confessed his feelings to Korra by now, and it broke her heart to know that Korra most likely returned Mako's love. She had been dreading this moment; this was the moment when she would be told that Korra and Mako were now dating. This was the moment when Korra would become truly unattainable. She braced herself for what she was sure to be one of the worst feelings of her life.

"Yeah," Korra said with no small amount of tension, "That's probably not the best idea right now."

It was like a bomb had gone off inside Asami's brain; it was an explosion of questions that filled her to the brim. This was not the response she had been expecting, and it left a lot to answer for.

"Why would that be a bad idea?" Asami asked, her uncertainty of the situation making her anxious.

"He and I aren't really speaking right now. In fact, he kind of left the island just to get away from me."

"What happened!?" Asami questioned frantically. Her eyes were wide with shock, and her mind was racing. '_What had happened between the two of them? Why was it so bad that Mako had to leave? Did this mean there was hope?'_ That last thought filled her heart with anxiety as she, like Korra, did not dare to hope for something that she believed to be impossible.

"Actually," Korra began, "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it right now." Korra knew that if she did, she would have to explain to Asami why she had rejected Mako. She knew she wouldn't be able to lie, and if she was wrong about how Asami felt, then saying something now would ruin things between them. However, there was one thing about the situation that Korra did feel she had to say, "Except, He did tell me that the two of you broke up."

"Oh," Asami said softly. She wasn't exactly sure how to react to this. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously and wondered why Korra would mention that.

"Asami, I'm so sorry." Korra said with sincere guilt. She looked down at the ground, unable to meet Asami's eyes. She feared that if she did, she would be met with anger and hatred from the girl she cared for. "I feel like you two breaking up is my fault. If I did anything to cause this, anything at all, then I am so, so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." The emotional battle waging within Korra as she made this confession got the better of her. Asami saw tears hit the ground in front of Korra's feet, and she knew that her avatar was crying.

"Korra, it's okay." Asami said as she placed a reassuring had on Korra's shoulder. Korra slowly raised her head to meet her friend's gaze. Rather than anger, Korra saw compassion in those emerald eyes, and a wave of relief washed over her as Asami continued, "It wasn't your fault, not really. The writing had been on the wall for a while now for Mako and me. You don't need to feel guilty Korra; you're my friend, and I could never blame you for this."

A small smile formed on Korra's face, "Thank you Asami. I'm happy to hear that." Her nerves subsiding, Korra straitened her posture and began to wipe the tears from her face, "So now that that little rollercoaster is over, what do you say? Are you my new coach?"

This time it was Asami who found herself in the crossfire of an emotional war. She had a feeling that being Korra's coach wasn't such a good idea. _'I'd be getting too close.'_ She thought, _'It's like I told Bolin, Korra and I have a good friendship going here; I can't risk ruining that by telling her how I feel. Even if things aren't okay between her and Mako, that doesn't mean that she'll want me… she'll never want me. Tonight was a big enough risk as it is; I'm getting too close.'_ Asami didn't realize how long she had been silent. Korra looked at her with confusion and worry, wondering what was going on inside Asami's head. She hoped that she hadn't been too direct; the last thing she wanted was scare Asami off now, but she had already asked the question. She needed an answer.

"Asami?" Korra said, snapping the other girl out of her trance, "So, do you want to do it?"

Asami tried to maintain her resolve, _'Say no say no say no.'_ Despite this repeating mantra, Asami smiled warmly and replied, "Yeah sure, I'd love to." She immediately scolded herself _'Damn it!'_

Korra smiled widely, "Great, thank you. I really appreciate it." Her reaction was merely a fraction of her internal excitement, _'YES! ' _

Asami turned and walked towards her room a few doors down from Korra's. Before she opened the door to go inside though, Korra grabbed her attention one last time.

"Hey Asami?" Korra beckoned.

"Yeah?"

"All things considered," Korra began with a warm smile, "I had a really great time tonight. We should do this more often. You know, hang out."

Asami smiled warmly back at her, "Korra, I know how you train. If I'm really gonna be your coach, I think we'll be spending plenty of time together."

"I'm glad." Korra said as her smile grew wider.

Asami felt a surge of warmth within her and replied, "I am too. Goodnight Korra."

"Goodnight Asami."

Asami opened the door and entered her room. Once she closed the door, she took a good long mental look at herself. In that single moment, knowing that Korra really enjoyed spending time with her and wanted to do it more, Asami couldn't stop herself from feeling more love and affection for the beautiful water tribe girl than she ever had before. She realized then that keeping her feelings under control was something easier said than done. If something so small could make her feel as if she was on cloud nine, then how could she possibly contain her affections while seeing Korra on a regular basis when they started training together?

Asami gently banged her head against the door and groaned, "So much for not getting too close."

Meanwhile on the outside, Korra was about to enter her own room when a thought occurred to her, _'I wonder if I have enough strength to make it to the boy's quarters.'_

….

Bolin lay in his bed with his hands clasped behind his head and his legs crossed in front of him. His room was well lit by the lamp near his bead. His eyes were closed but he was not asleep; he lay there with a large smile on his face as he softly hummed to himself. The young earth bender had been like this for the past couple of hours. He had tried to go to sleep, but he found that couldn't; he was just too excited. He knew that tonight his plan had been laid into action. He had given Korra and Asami no choice but to spend quality time with one another, and at a pro bending tournament no less. He didn't know whether or not this would ignite the spark that he knew for a fact was between them, _'At the very least,'_ he thought, _'this is a first step.' _Bolin wasn't usually the type to be self indulgent, but he couldn't help but give himself a nice pat on the back for pulling off what he thought to be a most cunning endeavor. A sharp knock at the door roused Bolin from his self assuring relaxation. He walked over to the door and opened it to find Korra, and his jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw the condition she was in.

"Korra," Bolin exclaimed, "What the hell happened to you?" He scanned her body, taking great notice of her bandaged head, ribs, and casted right arm. He also deeply analyzed the various cuts on her face and forearms. Bolin let his greatly injured friend inside and closed the door, all the while waiting for an explanation. Rather than provide one however, Korra used her left arm to deliver a powerful punch to Bolin's shoulder. He winced and began frantically rubbing his wound.

"OW! Geez Korra, what was that for?"

"That was for breaking your promise!" Korra replied with a scowl.

Bolin felt a wave of guilt wash over him, believing his plan had somehow failed, "Oh man, Korra I'm…"

Before he could finish his unnecessary apology, Korra lunged at Bolin, embracing him in a tight hug. The fact that she could only use one arm did nothing to hinder the power of her hold. Bolin's eyes were wide with shock and confusion. Not even a second ago Korra looked ready to take his head off, now she was hugging him like she hadn't seen him in years.

"Okay," Bolin began with confusion, "What's this for?"

Korra squeezed him tighter and smiled, "Same thing."

Bolin felt relief as he realized what Korra meant. He hugged Korra back, happily embracing the moment they were sharing. He still had a lot of questions. Based on the hug, Bolin assumed that his plan had somehow worked, and he wanted to know how. There was also the matter of why Korra was so banged up. So many questions raced through Bolin's mind, but he remained silent. It was nothing that couldn't wait.

_A/N: Hope you guys think this was worth the wait. I'll try to get the next one up a little sooner, but with the way life is going right now, no promises. As I always say, I really appreciate all the support and constructive criticism you guys give. It not only motivates me, but it helps me make this a better story for you guys. With that said, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I don't want to risk spoiling anything that's going to happen with these two, but there is a lot to come so stay tuned._


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Season's greetings everyone! I'm so sorry I couldn't upload this one sooner like I wanted; honestly I had a little trouble getting this one done (writers block is a bitch). Thank you all for your feedback the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one. Now, on with the show…_

**Chapter 8**

"It's really not that funny." Korra said grimly as Bolin lay on the floor next to her, laughing hysterically. Korra had just spent the past few minutes recounting the events of the night to her earth bending friend, but the story was brought to an abrupt stop when Korra said she lost the match because of she was distracted by Asami's face. Apparently, Bolin found that little detail very amusing.

"It's pretty funny!" Bolin practically wailed as he continued rolling on the floor. Korra scowled at him and delivered a sharp kick to his ribs.

"OW!" he yelped, "Okay, I'm sorry, but come on. You lost because of a look on Asami's face?"

"Don't make it sound so stupid," Korra said, "Need I remind you that this nearly got me killed?"

As he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes, Bolin took a moment to reexamine Korra's injuries. Her head and chest had been bandaged for a concussion and a couple of bruised ribs and her right arm had to be put in a splint for a bad sprain. Despite the seriousness of her wounds, Bolin couldn't help the smile that had become plastered on his face and the light snicker that went with it. Korra saw this and delivered another strong kick to his chest.

"OW! Stop that!"

"Then stop laughing at me." Korra said with a scowl.

"Okay, I'm done." Bolin said glumly, "Seriously though, since when do you get distracted by someone during a pro bending match?"

Korra thought back to the look she had seen on Asami's beautiful face and smiled softly, "Since that someone became Asami." She replied absentmindedly, forgetting who she was talking to.

"AWWWWWWWWWWW, that is too cute." Bolin said in a slightly mocking tone, and Korra realized that she had just said that out loud.

She blushed, "Shut up."

Bolin smirked, "Alright, so what happened next?" he said, deciding to spare his friend further embarrassment.

"Well the healers stitched me up; we came back here to the island and…" Korra hesitated as she continued, "We started talking about Mako."

"Uh oh," Bolin felt uneasy about where this was going, "How did that go?"

"Surprisingly well; she didn't seem very upset. At the very least I know she doesn't blame me for her and Mako's break up but…" Korra stopped abruptly and looked at the floor, avoiding eye contact with Bolin. He knew there was more to this than Korra was telling.

"What?" He asked pryingly.

Korra bit her bottom lip in anxiety, "I don't know Bo. The way she talked about the break up and… the way she looked at me…"

"Yeah?" Bolin urged her to continue.

"I think she might actually like me." Her voice was barely a whisper.

'_Well no duh!'_ Bolin thought as he smirked smugly, "So, my plan did work."

'_Of course __**that's**__ the part he focuses on_._'_ Korra rolled her eyes, "Yes fine your plans worked are you happy? Now will you pay attention to the important part: Asami might actually like me!"

"So what are you gonna do about it?"

"Well I have to be sure right? For all I know I imagined the look she had during the match. If I'm wrong about this and I try to make a move, it could ruin everything that Asami and I have already."

'_Except that it wouldn't,' _Bolin thought, _'because the girl is head over heels for you.'_ Every fiber of his being wanted to tell Korra exactly what Asami had told him. All he wanted to do was to sit these girls down and tell them both how the other felt; maybe then they would stop being so bone headed and see what was right in front of them. That's all he wanted to do, but he knew he couldn't; they weren't his secrets to tell. Whatever was going to happen between these two was something they would have to make happen themselves; all he could do was to try and help them along the way.

"What's your plan?" He asked.

"Well, I already talked her into coaching me through my recovery. That'll give me the time and opportunity to… I don't know, find out how she actually feels?"

"That's it?"

"Well, it's what I've got so far." Korra defended as she shrugged her shoulders, "I haven't totally thought it all through."

"Well you know," Bolin began, his words oozing with confidence, "If you need a little help I'd be more than happy to…"

"No way," Korra cut him off abruptly but with a playful smile, "You're last little 'helping hand' gave me this migraine. I appreciate you starting this, but I want to finish it."

"Fair enough and you know what? If a migraine is the worst thing that comes from tonight, then I think you'll be alright."

Korra's smile faded and she groaned as a realization dawned on her, "Crap, it's not the worst thing"

"What are you talking about?"

Korra rubbed her eyes in anxiety, "This migraine's about to get a whole lot bigger…"

….

The morning sunrise bathed the surface of the island. A soft breeze carried the warm air throughout the temple, and the birds chirped melodiously. Yes, this was a beautiful morning, but it was the last thing on Korra's mind. She stood in the meditation garden of the island facing down her most dangerous foe. Fear gripped her very core, as she had battled this enemy many times before and lost every time. Yes, this was one villain that Korra knew she could never truly defeat, and she as she faced him, she wondered if this day would be her last.

"Of all the reckless, irresponsible, impulsive things you have done," Tenzin snarled, "This is by far the most IDIOTIC!"

Korra had just explained to Tenzin how she had become so injured, and it's safe to say that he was not a happy monk. There was a rage in his voice so intense that anyone within hearing distance would have mistaken him for an angry bison. His face was so contorted from his scowl that it looked as though it was about to collapse in on its self. Korra had never seen Tenzin this angry, and she could swear she saw smoke coming out of the monk's ears.

"Well," Tenzin continued, "Do you have anything to say for yourself!?"

The fear that Korra felt was paralyzing, and no matter how hard she tried to say something in defense of her actions, no words came out of her gaping mouth.

"Korra, answer me!" Tenzin demanded.

"I was just… giving the people what they want." Korra said, then immediately regretted._ 'Yup,' _she thought, _'I'm dead.'_

"You were giving the people what they want!?" Tenzin roared, "Do they want you to die!?"

"No… I just… I didn't think this would happen."

"Clearly you didn't think about anything at all! Do you have any idea of the consequences of you actions!?"

"Yes, and I-" Korra began to explain but Tenzin interrupted.

"Even if you spend all day with a healer your body won't be even have half its physical capabilities!" Tenzin just ranted on, "Your reflexes will be dulled, your muscles will be sore, and you'll hardly be able to bend any elements!"

"I know but-" Korra tried to speak, but Tenzin cut her off yet again.

"You'll have to train constantly, and even then it will be days before you're back to your original condition!"

"Right, and that's why-"

"And who's going to help you train!? I don't have the time! This Tarrlok situation is going to keep me in council meetings for the rest of the week."

"Tenzin-" At this point Korra was just trying to get him to acknowledge her.

"Without training who knows how long it could take for you to get back in fighting shape? I'm the last person that wants you to fight at all but the Equalists could attack at any moment! What chance would we have against an army if the avatar is out of commission!?"

"Tenzin-" She said louder this time.

"Do you see now!? Your actions have put all of Republic City in danger! Why can't you ever-"

"TENZIN! Will you please just listen to me for a minute!?" Korra shouted, finally breaking through Tenzin's rage thickened skull. He was startled by her sudden outburst, but instead of reprimanding her, the monk took a deep, slightly calming breath.

"Fine," He said sternly, "You have one minute"

Korra sighed in relief, "Thank you, and I'm sorry. I know that fighting in that match was stupid and reckless. I was being a prideful moron and now I have to deal with it. Bolin is taking me to the healers this afternoon to finish fixing my arm. Once that's done and my concussion feels better I'm going right to work training. You don't have to worry about that because Asami already said she'd coach me. I know that this is bad, but I'm doing everything I can to fix it."

Tenzin saw the determination in Korra's eyes; he could tell how seriously she was taking this. This allowed his features to soften slightly, but he was still furious at Korra. He had come to see this girl as one of his children, and he knew that this blatant irresponsibility had to be dealt with.

"Alright," Tenzin said calmly, "You can go with Bolin to the healers."

Korra sighed in relief once again. She was just happy that Tenzin wasn't kicking her off the island in a Tornado.

"However," Tenzin continued, "After today, you are forbidden from going into the city for the next three weeks."

Korra's eyes widened in surprise, "What?"

Tenzin smiled proudly, "It's a parenting technique called 'grounding'. I've never been able to try it before because; well my kids never really go anywhere."

"You're **grounding** me?" Korra questioned in astonishment, "Tenzin, that's insane. I'm way too old for this, I'm seventeen!"

"As long as you live on **my** island, you'll live by **my** rules." Tenzin smiled even wider, "You know what? I've always wanted to say that."

Tenzin turned and left, leaving Korra behind with her eyes wide and jaw dropped. There were two things that she couldn't believe right now: that Tenzin hadn't killed her, and that he had actually grounded her. It all seemed so… father like. The more Korra thought about that she found a smile slowly forming on her face. She hated it when Tenzin treated her like a child, but given the way she was expecting this confrontation to go (with her head on a stick), she actually found it amusing. It had started off as a light snicker, but within moments Korra found herself sitting on the ground laughing in relief.

"He didn't kill me." She said to herself with a smile. A battle had been won today; it was a small battle, but it was enough. Korra took a deep breath and lay flat on her back. She cringed as pain shot through her ribs.

"Okay, maybe not the best idea." She groaned as she looked up at the sky. Her mind started to wander with thoughts of the near future. The battle against Tenzin was over quickly, but the war to win Asami had only just begun.

Korra closed her eyes and smiled softly as the sun bathed her face, "One way or another," she said, "This is gonna be one hell of a ride."

….

Meanwhile, in one of Republic City's less than desirable neighborhoods, a large and bearded bartender walked up to the sleeping figure of a male customer that had nodded off at some point the night before. He slammed his fist down on the bar, rattling the multitude of now empty glasses that lay around the young customer's head.

"Hey," The bartender yelled, "Buddy, wake up. It's time to go."

Slowly and sluggishly, Mako raised his head up from the bar. The sudden wake up call mixed with his muddled brain caused an immediate mixture of headache and nausea. He squinted his eyes as he was unprepared for the direct sunlight that beamed through the window. Mako had spent the majority of the previous day sulking aimlessly throughout Republic City feeling sorry for himself. Being rejected by Korra made him feel as though he had been smashed to pieces in the road, and every additional step he took felt as though he was just further crushing himself. He wasn't the type to cry, but he had certainly come close then. During this intense period of self loathing, Mako had found himself reevaluating every decision he had made over the past twenty four hours. He let Asami end their relationship without a fight because he thought that he and Korra were in love with each other. Once he found out that she seemed to have no interest in him whatsoever, it felt like every dream he had ever had was turning into a nightmare. He had eventually found his way to a local bar and decided that instead of wallowing in his sorrows, he could try and drown them. Now here he was the next morning, still drunk with an irritated bar tender looming over him.

"Wh… What?" Mako said in a low, groggy voice, "No way… the night is still young…" The bartender could see that his customer was still in some kind of stupor.

The bartender sighed, pitying the young man, "Look pal, its morning. It's time to go home."

'_Home…'_ Mako thought in a drunken haze, _'Air Temple… Bolin… Asami… Korra…'_ Thinking the avatars name brought a furious scowl. Somewhere along the way last night, Mako had morphed his self loathing into a blinding fury towards his once beloved avatar. _'Her fault… makes me fall in love with her… ruins thinks for me and Asami… makes me doubt myself… freaking bitch…'_

The bartender saw that Mako wasn't listening, "Buddy, it's time to get going."

"NO!" Mako yelled, "Not going back there… gimme another."

"Not gonna happen," The bartender said sternly, "I'm not gonna give you a drink when it's not even noon. Hell, I shouldn't have even served you so much last night; you've been sleeping for hours and you're still drunk."

"I said gimme another!"

"You've had enough!"

Mako reached into his coat and pulled out a small pouch. He clumsily plopped it on the table, allowing the metal coins inside of it to rattle.

"I got fifty yuans here that say I haven't." He said with a smug grin on his face. The bartender looked cautiously at the money. He tried to weigh the moral implications of the situation, but in reality his conscience didn't put up much of a fight.

"Fine," the man said as he swiped the pouch up from the bar, "It's your funeral." He quickly poured Mako a glass of alcohol and set it in front of him, right next to all the empty glasses. Mako eagerly picked up the glass and brought it closer to his mouth. He briefly considered that maybe this wasn't the best way to handle his pain. Those thoughts vanished as quickly as they had formed when another surge of anger engulfed him.

"To hell with it." He mumbled, and his day began with another drink.

_A/N: So, what did you guys think? Like I said, this one was tough to write. I know where I ultimately want this story to go, but I keep coming up with new ideas as to how I'm going to get there; sometimes that makes it difficult to write. I'm not as confident in this chapter as I'd like to be, but I've kept you guys waiting long enough. I'm confident that the next chapter will be better though__. With that said, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Your guy's reviews always make me really happy and they help me come up with ideas to make the story better for you guys. So, did you think I had forgotten about Mako? Is he going to be a problem for our girls? There's only one way to find out: stay tuned…_

_PS: Merry Christmas (or whatever winter holiday you celebrate) and happy New Year_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: 5000 views! 5000 views! Thank you guys so much, this is definitely a milestone. I'm really excited to continue writing this story into the New Year, and I'm excited to have you guys along for the ride. This is the first chapter of the year so it's a little longer than usual (sorry if some of you don't like that). Now, on with the show… _

Asami paced around her bedroom almost frantically. The moonlight shone brightly through her window, as it was the middle of the night and Asami had been unable to fall asleep. She just walked in circles over and over again; sometimes she rubbed her hands together, sometimes she looked up from the ground just to take in the surroundings, but mostly she just walked. There was a war waging in both Asami's head, and her heart. Both sides of this conflict fought to decide her next course of action. Just a few hours ago, Korra was seriously injured during a pro bending match. When the two of them had returned to the island, Korra had asked Asami to coach her through her physical rehabilitation, a challenge that would make even the fiercest warriors quake in their boots. Korra was well known for her intense training sessions, mostly because they tended to leave a trail of destruction in their wakes. Asami, however, was not afraid for her safety. She knew that Korra would never hurt her, at least not physically, but there are other ways for a person to be hurt. **That** was the question for which this internal war had been waged: would coaching Korra be safe for her emotionally? Ever since Asami realized just how deep her feelings were for Korra she had been trying to figure whether or not she should act on them, and the events of the evening had forced her into a position where a decision must be made.

"Should I tell her?" Asami asked the empty room, silently hoping that someone or something would help her find the answer, "I mean, what if she says no? What if she rejects me? What if she thinks I'm some kind of freak?"

'_Oh come on,_' Asami's inner voice spoke to her; the voice was soft and soothing, like a mother speaking to her child, _'You know that wouldn't happen._' Rationally, Asami knew that Korra wasn't a judgmental person and would probably not be hostile towards her if her feelings were not returned. She knew this, but the fear was still there. It took hold of her and shook violently every time she asked herself if it would be safe to share her feelings with Korra.

"Even if she wouldn't hate me," Asami continued, "Things would be different between us. She'd feel uncomfortable around me, and she'd push me away."

The thought of Korra leaving Asami's life all together nearly brought tears to her emerald eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing the beautiful water tribe girl; her heart nearly broke every time she so much as considered that possibility. Asami wanted some kind of relationship with Korra, even if it never went beyond friendship.

"Besides," She mumbled as she wiped the small tears that had formed in her eyes, "Korra's in love with Mako."

'_Really?'_ Her inner voice revealed its self again, _'Are you sure about that?'_ Though she hadn't gone into any specifics, Korra did say that she and Mako weren't speaking. Whatever had happened, it had been bad enough for Mako to leave the island. When Asami broke up with Mako, she assumed that he would go directly to Korra and confess his feelings for her. _'So what happened?' _the voice asked, _'Could she have rejected him?'_

"But that doesn't make any sense," Asami protested, "Korra's always been crazy for Mako. There's no reason she would have rejected him."

'_Unless she isn't in love with him,'_ her inner voice offered, _'Think about it, something had to have made Mako angry enough to leave. A rejection from Korra would definitely do the trick.'_ This was definitely true. If there was one thing that Asami had learned from dating Mako was that he was hot headed, even for a fire bender. This was all becoming too much for Asami to process, so she walked to her bed and gently sat down.

"Okay," Asami said, "Even if she did reject him, that doesn't mean that she's attracted to me."

'_Unless it does.'_

"Damn it will you shut up!" Asami yelled at her own thoughts, "I'm trying to be realistic and you keep making me hopeful! Stop it!"

Asami dropped the rest of her body down onto her bed. She groaned and rubbed her eyes in agitation.

"Great," She whispered, "I'm yelling at myself. This whole mess is driving me crazy. Please, just stop." Despite her protests, the voice had one more question for her:

'_Why are you afraid of hope?'_

Asami scowled angrily and rose from the bed, "Don't go there."

'_Why are you afraid of hope?'_

The question echoed through Asami's skull and she began pacing again, "Stop it."

'_Why are you afraid of hope?'_

The voice just wouldn't stop repeating it's self in Asami's thoughts, "Shut up."

'_Why are you afraid of hope?'_

Asami felt plagued by the repeating question. Her pacing increased in speed and she aggressively ran her hands through her hair, as though she were trying to silence the voice by pulling it from her skull.

'_Why are you afraid of hope?'_

It just wouldn't end. Asami was literally shaking with fury and her voice trembled as she spoke, "I said… shut up." But this voice, though soft and loving in nature, refused to grant Asami the inner peace she now longed for. It continued asking the same question over and over, plaguing Asami with anger and doubt every time. Even when the tortured heiress fell to her knees and began sobbing the voice still pestered on. It wanted an answer. It **needed** an answer.

'_Why are you afraid of hope?'_

"Because all it's ever done is hurt me!" Asami shot up from the ground and screaming at the wall, tears streamed from her eyes, "When my dad first said that he thought being gay was wrong, I **hoped **that the feelings I had were just a phase. When I met Mako, I'd **hoped** that I had finally met a man I'd want to be with. When Korra accused my dad of being an Equalist, I desperately **hoped **that she was wrong! Every time I let myself hope, it always turns around and stabs me in the back!"

Asami fell back to the floor and just lay there, no longer possessing the strength to get up. She lay there and she cried; an endless flood of tears bursting from each eye. Her mind and heart were in chaos as she continued sobbing on the floor. She could barely move, though after some time, she did find the strength to speak. With her current state of mind, there was only one thing she could manage to say.

"I can't…" She mumbled through her sobs, "I can't… I can't hope again… I just… I just can't…" She lay there weeping. She cried for what felt like an eternity, until her silent tears slowly nudged her off to sleep.

….

(The Next Day)

"OW!" Korra yelled as the healer made one final adjustment to her arm. Despite what some people may believe, using water bending as a method of healing was not a painless endeavor. It can be very uncomfortable depending on the severity of the injury. In fact, as far as Korra was concerned at the moment, healing her sprained arm was more painful than spraining it in the first place.

"All right," The healer said as he wiped the water droplets from Korra's arm, "That should do it Ms. Korra."

"Bout freaking time." Korra grumbled as she tried flexing her arm. She heard a small chuckle from the corner of the room and turned to shoot Bolin a stare that promised him a slow and painful death. Bolin, who had been patiently waiting throughout the entire healing session, enjoyed seeing Korra like this. She was usually so in control, so watching her react to a situation in which she had no power was entertaining for the young earth bender. Korra got out of the chair, accidentally putting too much weight on her leg. She winced as pain coursed through her entire body and she began to collapse; she would have fell to the floor if the healer hadn't caught her half way down. Bolin rushed over to help get Korra back up.

"Okay see," The healer grunted as he helped lift Korra back up, "I was gonna warn you about that. Your arm and ribs may be fixed now but you are not exactly better yet." Korra shooed Bolin away as she got herself back upright. When the healer saw that she was stable he backed away and continued, "Your body is still going to be sore for a little while. You can move, but it's gonna hurt like living hell if you push yourself too hard so you," he turned his attention to Bolin, "You need to stay close to her just in case."

"No problem." Bolin said; he then turned to Korra with a smirk, "Excuse me miss, do you need help crossing the street?"

"Sleep with one eye open." Korra threatened with a scowl as Bolin laughed at his own joke. The two of them the healer's building, a modest one story complex, and after nearly collapsing for the third time, Korra reluctantly accepted Bolin's assistance. As she walked with one arm wrapped around Bolin's shoulder, Korra took a good long look at the not so pleasant neighborhood around them. This had not been her first choice of location, but the healer was a friend of Bolin's from back when he and Mako were on their own. Even in the day time the neighborhood seemed littered with trash, criminals, and more than a few bars. As she continued to limp down the side walk with Bolin, Korra thought she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. When she turned her head, she found that she was correct in the person's identity, but she was confused by the manner in which he was behaving.

"Hey Bo,' Korra beckoned, "Isn't that Mako across the street?"

Bolin turned to look at his brother with a smile on his face, but that smile immediately faded when he took a good really good look at him. Mako's clothes were wrinkled and his hair was extremely messy; the scarf that he always wore so proudly was just barely hanging from his neck. He was severely off balance as he walked, tripping and stumbling with every step he took. He raised a half empty bottle to take a drink, and Bolin could see the dark circles under his brother's eyes.

"Oh god," Bolin whispered, "He's on a binge." He didn't realize that Korra could hear him.

"What!?" she practically yelled. Bolin swiftly put his hand to Korra's mouth, silencing her before she could continue.

"Shush!" Bolin demanded with no small amount of urgency, "He'll hear you." When Bolin was sure that Mako hadn't noticed them from across the street, he started pushing Korra away down the nearest alley, "Come on, we have to go **now**."

"Bo, wait," Korra protested, "What's wrong with Mako?"

"He's wasted." Bolin stated simply as he continued pushing Korra down the alley. He constantly turned his head back, making sure that the two of them weren't being followed.

"Wasted!? Mako drinks?"

"Sort of, he used to anyway. It's been a while."

"But he's only been gone for a day! How did he get so messed up in one day? Bolin, stop! Wait!"

Korra's protests fell upon deaf ears. He just looked on ahead with a furrowed brow; right now his only goal was to get Korra as far away from Mako as possible, whether she liked it or not. Korra tried to fight, but where her mind was willing, her body was in no condition to act. Despite constant protests and pleas from Korra, Bolin just kept pushing and shoving all the way to the docks. They finally reached their small motor boat, Bolin started the motor, and Korra sat in one of the seats, an intense scowl plastered on her face. As they began their way back to the temple, Korra spoke with a stern, angered tone.

"We shouldn't have left him like that." She said as Bolin steered the boat with the same determined look he had taken when they first saw Mako.

"We had to." He replied sternly.

"He looked really messed up Bo. We should have helped him."

"He doesn't want to be helped," Bolin stated, a single tear rolling from his eye, "Not when he's like that."

Korra couldn't believe any of this. For as long as she'd known them, Mako and Bolin had always been closer than any other two people she had ever met. Now, when Mako could be in real danger, Bolin seemed as though he couldn't care less about his older brother. More than that, Bolin seemed angry at Mako. _'I mean yeah,' _Korra thought, _'I can understand him being angry at Mako for being drunk, which I still can't believe, but I believe it even less that Bo just left him there.'_ Korra was baffled by the whole situation. There were a lot of questions, and she needed answers. Korra rose from her seat on the still speeding boat, and took her water bending stance. She ignored the pain that coursed through her as she swayed her arms, pulling a current of water against them in the opposite direction.

"Korra, what the hell are you doing!?" Bolin yelled as he slowed down the boat for fear of capsizing. Once they had slowed down enough, Korra clenched her fists, freezing the water solid and bringing them to a violent stop. Bolin crashed against the steering wheel of the boat and Korra fell hard on the floor. Once the boat had settled, Korra slowly rose back into her seat. Bolin got steady on his feet, checked himself over for injuries, and then turned to Korra with a furious scowl.

"Are you out of your freaking mind!?" He yelled, "You could have killed us! Unfreeze the water so we can get moving!"

"No." Korra said sternly.

"Korra-"

"Not until you explain what the hell is happening right now!"

Bolin groaned and ran his hand over his head in aggravation, "Now is really not the best time-"

"Bolin, until you explain why Mako is drunk and, more importantly, why we left him like that, we're not moving an inch."

Bolin paced around the small boat for a moment or two, the sighed as he fell back into his seat. He rubbed his eyes, trying to avoid Korra's gaze. Korra meanwhile remained silent as Bolin sat there; she thought that pushing him would not get her answers any faster, so she waited. After a time, Bolin looked back up at her, his eyes red and puffy. Korra didn't know how she missed him crying this whole time.

"It's happened before." Bolin mumbled, "It used to happen a lot actually."

"When?" Korra asked calmly.

"Back when our parents died." Bolin said, another tear falling from his eye, which he immediately wiped away, "The first couple years on our own, Mako got low… real low. He used to come home drunk on a regular basis. It usually happened when he felt sad or angry. He just… he just couldn't handle it all back then."

"So what happened?" Korra asked, she could hardly believe what she was hearing, "Things obviously got better for you two. What happened that made him straighten up."

"You know what they say," Bolin began with sadness in his eyes, "You have to hit rock bottom before you can get better."

….

(Seven Years Earlier)

_It was another cold winter's night for a lonely Bolin. The nine year old earth bender lay on the ground under a thin blanket as a blizzard raged on outside. No matter how hard he tried, Bolin just couldn't get to sleep. He was worried for his big brother Mako. Only eleven years old, Mako had gone out earlier that morning in search of some kind of work, but Bolin hadn't heard from him since, and he was starting to get worried. The small wooden shack they were living in was part of a small shanty town just outside Republic City. It wasn't perfect, but it was home; but it was also a fair distance from the city. As the blizzard raged and the shack got colder and colder, Bolin prayed that his big brother would make it home alright. When he heard snow crunching footsteps outside, Bolin sat up with a smile on his face, happy that his prayers had been answered. However, when Mako kicked the door open, Bolin's smile was lost indefinitely._

"_Oh no," he whispered to himself, "Not again."_

_The cold air and snow flew into the shack as Mako stumbled inside. He had a half empty bottle of alcohol firmly grasped in his hand and his eyes looked enraged enough to burn a hole through anything in his path._

'_God damn bastards!" Mako yelled, his speech severely slurred. He took another drink from his bottle and walked over to the table at the center of the shack. Bolin ran over to close the door to the shack, which his brother had neglectfully left open. Meanwhile, Mako was yelling angry gibberish as he flipped over the table._

"_Mako, stop it!" Bolin pleaded as he forced the door closed. Mako paid no attention to his little brother and kept on ranting._

"_Bastards think they can tell me I can't have a job? Just cause they think 'm too young!?" He took another drink from the bottle, "If I'm strong enough to work, then I should freaking work!" He slugged over to a wall and sat against it. He raised the bottle to take another drink, but found it empty._

"_Damn it all to hell!" He cursed as he threw the bottle at the opposite wall, shattering it. His demeanor seemed to shift in an instant, changing from furiously enraged to unbearably depressed. He buried his face in his hands and began to cry, "I'm a failure… a god damn failure."_

"_Mako," Bolin said weakly as he walked over to comfort his brother, "You're not a failure. You'll get a job… we'll be okay."_

"_SHUT UP!" Mako yelled, enraged once again. He rose back up to his feet and began stumbling all around the tiny shack with tears streaming from his eyes, "Why can't you just accept it Bo!? I'm a god damn failure! I couldn't protect mom and dad, and now I can't even take care of you!" He looked down at the red scarf, his father's scarf, which was wrapped around his neck. For a moment, his scowl began to fade, but it just as quickly returned with increasing fury._

"_I don't deserve this," Mako growled as he unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and threw it to the ground. He took a good look at everything around him, as little as it was, and yelled even louder, "I DON'T DESERVE ANY OF THIS!" He fiercely punched the wall in front of him, red hot fire erupting from his fist as he did._

"_Mako, stop it!" Bolin begged, "If you're not careful you'll burn the shack down!"_

_Mako stared at his fist with a kind of fury and hatred that Bolin had never seen before, "Good…" He said as he turned to look at Bolin. All the young boy could do was look back in terror at the monster that looked like exactly like his brother._

"_Fire's evil Bo," Mako said sternly, "It kills and consumes. Fire took mom and dad from us… maybe it's time for it to take everything else." Mako went right to work. His movement was still impaired by his drunken state, but that didn't make much difference. He shot fire ball after fire ball at the walls around him, eventually causing them all too catch fire. Bolin begged and pleaded for Mako to stop, doing everything he could to reason with his enraged brother, but nothing worked. Mako just kept going, like an angry dragon laying waste to the village below. While in the process of incinerating every flammable thing in the small shack, Mako felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. He immediately felt dizzy and light headed, slowly losing consciousness as he fell to the ground. Just before everything went dark, Mako saw Bolin, his baby brother, standing above him with a large rock in his hand. Once Mako was safely unconscious, Bolin dropped the rock he had hit him with and picked his father's red scarf up off the ground, then grabbed his brother by the arms. Bolin dragged Mako out of the now burning shack and into the snow just outside. There he sat next to his unconscious brother for the rest of the night. He just sat there and watched the shack, their home for over a year, burn to ashes. No more tears fell on Bolin's face that night, for he had no more to cry. He simply held his hands out into the bright light of the fire._

"_Well," he said to himself, "At least it's warm."_

…_._

(Now)

"We were homeless for three months after that," Bolin told Korra in conclusion to his story, "We eventually found a place to live in the city. We worked for the Triads for a long time, but then we stopped when we discovered Pro Bending." Bolin wiped another tear from his eye, "In all that time… he never touched the bottle; he promised me that he wouldn't. But now…"

It took every ounce of willpower Korra could muster not to burst into sobbing tears right then and there. She knew that the brothers had had a rough child hood, but she had no idea just how bad it really was. She just wanted to go over and give Bolin the biggest hug she could, but she decided against it; he didn't seem in the mood.

"Bolin," she finally spoke, "I'm so sorry."

Bolin shrugged, trying to keep his composure after digging up such painful memories, "its okay."

"No it isn't, and I'm really sorry that happened to you… but still," Korra continued, "We shouldn't have just left him there like that."

Bolin groaned, "Did you not listen to a word I just said Korra!? When Mako's like that he's-"

"Dangerous, yeah I got it!" She cut him off, "All the more reason we should have helped him! What if he hurts someone?"

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

Bolin looked her right in the eyes, "Because I'm pretty sure there's only one person in Republic City that he wants to hurt right now."

Korra's eyes grew wide when she realized what Bolin meant, "Me..." she whispered. In that moment, everything made sense; it was like Korra had just put the last piece of the puzzle together. Bolin said that Mako only used to do this kind of thing when he was upset or angry, and Korra could only think of one thing within the last twenty four hours that would have set him off like that.

"It's my fault," Korra said with a trembling voice, "I rejected him… I'm the reason that he started drinking… oh god!" Korra's head dropped to her hands as guilt, grief, and anger consumed her entire being. She hated herself for causing Mako this much pain, and Bolin saw that. He was filled with remorse as he saw Korra break down in front of him. He hadn't meant to blame her for anything, he was just angry, and now she was just as upset as he had been. He slowly knelt down in front of Korra and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Korra, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound that way." He said softly, "I need you to listen to me: this is not your fault."

"Yes it is." She replied, her voice muffled by her hands.

"No it isn't. Sure, Mako's upset that you rejected him, but he didn't have to go and do this. He could have come talk to me, but instead he left. He chose to leave and go back to the booze. You didn't force him to do that, he made that decision all by himself"

Korra slowly raised her head from her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks and a look of absolute shame on her face.

"Bolin," she said in a barely audible whisper, "I am so sorry."

He smiled softly at her, "Don't be," he said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Like I said this isn't your fault."

Korra took a deep breath and slowly sat up in her seat. Every time she exhaled she started shaking, as she was still getting over her sobbing fit. When it seemed like she was better, Bolin stood back up.

"Now," he began with his usual smile, "What do you say we get home?"

Korra was still crying. Despite what Bolin had said, she still felt awful for being the cause of Mako's current acts of self destruction. Even with all her shame and remorse, she nodded her head and gave a weak smile. With a simple sway of her hand, Korra returned the water to its liquid state, and Bolin set the boat in motion yet again. Korra looked back at the city, feeling worse the further the moved from it. She still hated that they were leaving Mako behind, but she trusted Bolin to do the right thing for his brother. All Korra could do was hope that Mako would be alright, and that things would be better once they got back to the island.

_A/N: Wow, sorry guys, I didn't plan for there to be so many tears this chapter but once I started writing that's just where it went. Despite all of the deep feels, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of the New Year, and the longest chapter that I have ever written. This one took a lot of work but I'm proud of the results and I hope you guys are too. As usual, feel free to share any questions, comments, and/or concerns you guys may have so that I can make the next chapter even better. Also as usual, thank you guys. 2013 saw the beginning of Shifting Tides, and I'm really happy to continue it into the New Year. When I started writing this story two months ago, I didn't expect that so many people would see it so quickly, let alone that they would enjoy it and want to see more. I appreciate all of your support and I'm really humbled by the fact that so many of you like this story so much. You guys are the fuel that keeps the fire going, and I am so grateful for that. With one day down, and three hundred and sixty four to go it's looking to be a good year you guys, so stay tuned._


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